It is safe to say that 2023 has been a year full of ups and downs for Wolves fans. While the club has had plenty of high moments there have also been plenty of disappointing ones.
After starting off the year with new manager Julen Lopetegui, they are now finishing 2023 with Gary O’Neil.
The team has also completely changed as well, with players such as Mario Lemina, Matheus Cunha and Joao Gomes joining the club. However, plenty of players have also left including captain Ruben Neves, Matheus Nunes and Adama Traore.
Despite O’Neil now steadying the ship at Wolves after coming into the club that was seemingly sinking, there have been plenty of tough moments in 2023.
Here we rank what we believe are the three most disappointing points in 2023 for Wolves fans.
Wolves hammered at the Amex
When Julen Lopetegui came into the club late in 2022, Wolves looked almost certain to be relegated from the Premier League. However, in less than six months, the manager took the side from the foot of the table to survival in a comfortable fashion.
Towards the end of the 2022/23 season, Wolves travelled to the Amex to take on Brighton. Lopetegui’s side were virtually safe after their 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in their previous fixture but it was yet to be mathematically confirmed.
Brighton on the other hand was flying high and looked to further their European ambitions.
When the two teams clashed in April, it soon became clear that there would be only one winner.
Wolves were woeful throughout the game and were 4-0 down at half-time. The second period wasn’t much better either and the visitors conceded another two as the game ended 6-0.
It was Wolves worst-ever defeat in the Premier League and cast a terrible stain on what had been a successful second half of the season.
What made it worse was it was clear lessons weren’t learned as Wolves went on to lose 5-0 to Arsenal weeks later.
Modern-day hero leaves Wolves
This moment is far more heart-breaking than disappointing but still deserves a place on this list.
Ruben Neves was a hero at Wolves and in the 2022/23 season became captain of the West Midlands club.
However, his six-year spell at the club came to an end in the summer when he moved to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal. In this time he helped guide Wolves back to the Premier League and into Europe.
But with just one year left on his contract, the club chose to cash in on their most prized asset.
In his departure, it became clear that the club had failed Neves. The midfielder loved Wolves and may have stayed if they had continued their previous positive trajectory.
However, a series of poor decisions saw Wolves drop from the brink of Champions League football in the 2019/20 season to fighting to stay in the Premier League.
Wolves capitulate in the Carabao Cup
Going in the Carabao, many Wolves fans were hopeful of a cup run. The club progressed into the third round after overcoming Blackpool in style with a 5-0 win at Molineux.
In the next round, they faced Ipswich at Portman Road who were flying high near the top of the Championship.
Wolves themselves were on a poor run of form and had only won one game so far in the Premier League. Fans hoped that a victory in the cup would help their side rekindle their form.
This looked to come to fruition as they quickly went 2-0 up thanks to goals from Hwang Hee-Chan and Toti Gomes. However, the visitors would soon surrender this lead as Ipswich pulled in back to 2-2 at half-time.
The hosts then went on to win the game 3-2 thanks to a great distanced effort and it seemed like O’Neil’s tenure may be coming to an early end.
However, despite the embarrassment in the cup, the manager turned it around in the very next game as Wolves shocked Man City with a 2-1 victory.